action – Old Movies – Free & Full

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) [Silent Movie]

Charlotte Movies — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:14:38 +0000

1h. 10min. // The effete son of a cantankerous riverboat captain comes to join his father’s crew.

Writing Credits: Carl Harbaugh (story)

Starring: Buster Keaton (as William Canfield Jr.), Tom McGuire (as J.J. King) and Ernest Torrence (as William ‘Steamboat Bill’ Canfield).

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Awards:

WON. National Film Preservation Board, USA 2016. National Film Preservation Board.

NOMINATED. Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA 2013. Best DVD/Blu-Ray Collection.

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Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)

Charlotte Movies — Sat, 09 May 2026 13:14:16 +0000

1h. 23min. // Extraterrestrials traveling in high-tech flying saucers contact a scientist as part of a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Earth.

Directed by: Fred F. Sears

Writing Credits: Bernard Gordon (screenplay), George Worthing Yates (screenplay)

Starring: Hugh Marlowe (as Dr. Russell A. Marvin), Joan Taylor (as Carol Marvin) and Donald Curtis (as Maj. Huglin).

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Awards:

WON. Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA 1957. Best Sound Editing – Feature Film.

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Little Caesar (1931)

Charlotte Movies — Wed, 06 May 2026 10:10:07 +0000

1h 19min. // A small-time hood with big ambitions blows into the city determined to claw his way to the top of the underworld. Caesar Enrico “Rico” Bandello has no patience for petty stickups or backroom card games; he wants power, territory, and the fear that comes with a gunman’s reputation. Alongside his old pal Joe Massara, who dreams of leaving the rackets for a life on the stage, Rico muscles his way into a powerful gang, proving himself with a cold-blooded efficiency that quickly catches the eye of the city’s crime bosses.

As Rico’s star rises, his world grows more dangerous. A brazen assassination at a high-society banquet cements his status as a man to be reckoned with, but it also puts him squarely in the sights of the law and rival mobsters. While Joe tries to distance himself from the violence and build a future with his dancing partner Olga, Rico tightens his grip on the streets, pushing aside anyone who shows weakness or disloyalty.

The higher Rico climbs, the more isolated he becomes, trapped by his own legend and the brutal code he lives by. Police pressure mounts, alliances crumble, and the city that once trembled at his name begins to close in around him. The film tracks his rise and inevitable fall with a stark, unsentimental eye, capturing the moment when swagger and bravado can no longer shield a gangster from the consequences of his own ruthless ambition.

In the end, the story becomes less about crime than about character: a portrait of a man who mistakes fear for respect and power for security. As the lights of the city flicker around him, Rico’s desperate struggle to hold onto his fading glory turns this lean crime tale into a haunting study of pride, loyalty, and the steep price of living by the gun.

Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy

Writing Credits: Francis Edward Faragoh

Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Glenda Farrell, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., George E. Stone, Sidney Blackmer

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Safety Last! (1923)

Charlotte Movies — Wed, 06 May 2026 10:03:17 +0000

1h 13min. // A small-town young man arrives in the big city with grand promises to his sweetheart back home. Working as a lowly clerk in a bustling department store, he writes letters that wildly exaggerate his success, painting himself as an important executive on the rise. Determined to make his dreams match his boasts, he scrambles for a way to impress both his boss and the girl who believes he’s already made it.

When the store’s manager offers a cash bonus for a publicity stunt that will draw crowds, the ambitious clerk seizes his chance. He arranges for his daredevil friend to scale the outside of the store’s towering skyscraper, expecting to bask in the reflected glory. But a series of mishaps forces him to take his friend’s place, and he finds himself inching up the building’s sheer face, floor by floor, with thousands of onlookers gathered below.

What begins as a simple stunt quickly turns into a hair-raising ordeal. Each new level brings fresh hazards: tangled ropes, meddling pigeons, swinging windows, and the constant threat of a bumbling policeman on his trail. The higher he climbs, the more the suspense and laughter build, culminating in the iconic image of him dangling from the hands of a giant clock high above the street.

Throughout the ascent, the film balances breathless tension with inventive gags, transforming urban modernity into both obstacle and playground. The hero’s desperate bid to prove himself becomes a deliriously funny tribute to persistence, showmanship, and the sheer audacity of early movie stunts.

Directed by: Sam Taylor, Fred C. Newmeyer

Writing Credits: Hal Roach, Sam Taylor, Harold Lloyd, Tim Whelan

Starring: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Lufkin, Mickey Daniels

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Riders of Destiny (1933)

Charlotte Movies — Mon, 04 May 2026 13:13:54 +0000

53min. // A mysterious stranger rides into a parched frontier town and stumbles onto a trail of bullets and corruption. The local sheriff lies wounded from a backshooting, ranchers are being squeezed off their land, and the only real power in town is a slick businessman who owns the dam that controls the region’s last dependable water supply. Posing as a laconic gunman with a guitar and a deadly aim, Singin’ Sandy Saunders drifts into the middle of a struggle where every drop of water — and every acre of ranch land — has a price.

Sandy soon crosses paths with Fay Denton, a determined young woman who stages her own “robbery” of the stagecoach just to keep her family’s mail and payments out of the hands of hired thugs. Her family’s ranch sits on the only independent well in the territory, making it the final obstacle to the water baron’s total control. While the town believes Sandy may be just another hired gun, he’s actually a government agent sent from Washington, quietly gathering evidence against the operation.

Infiltrating the villain’s outfit, Sandy walks a razor’s edge between maintaining his cover and protecting the Dentons from sabotage and violence. Gunfights erupt in dusty streets, ambushes play out along canyon trails, and the tension between ranchers and henchmen boils over as the water monopoly tightens its grip. Between bursts of gunfire and surprisingly dark cowboy ballads, Sandy methodically turns the tables, setting up a showdown that will decide whether the town dies of thirst under a tyrant’s thumb or wins back its land, its water, and its future.

Along the way, the film blends hard-edged B-western action with the novelty of a singing cowboy who’s more ominous than cheery, backed by colorful side characters and a lean, fast-paced story. It’s a dusty little programmer that shows how the genre was beginning to experiment with music, myth, and the morally ambiguous hero long before the cowboy crooners became squeaky-clean staples of Saturday matinees.

Directed by: Robert N. Bradbury

Writing Credits: Robert N. Bradbury

Starring: John Wayne, Al St. John, Yakima Canutt, George “Gabby” Hayes, Forrest Taylor

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Under Western Stars (1938)

Charlotte Movies — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:59:01 +0000

1h 5min. // Ranchers and small farmers watch their land turn to dust while precious water sits locked behind a private dam. A young cowboy named Roy rides into the middle of this crisis, discovering that a powerful water company has seized control of the region’s lifeblood and plans to squeeze every last dollar from desperate homesteaders. When Roy and his men force open the dam to give the parched land a fighting chance, he finds himself hauled into court—only to become an unlikely local hero.

The sympathetic mayor recognizes in Roy the same fire that once drove his late father, a respected public servant, and urges him to trade his saddle for the halls of Congress. Reluctantly, Roy agrees, taking his guitar and his populist message on the campaign trail. Between trail rides, town meetings, and impromptu songs, he rallies dust-choked families against the ruthless water barons who profit from their misery.

As his popularity grows, Roy’s crusade draws the ire of the company’s slick executives, who will stop at nothing to protect their stranglehold on the valley. Sabotage, intimidation, and political maneuvering turn a local water dispute into a full-blown showdown between corporate greed and the common good. With his trusty sidekick providing comic relief and a spirited young woman lending her support, Roy must prove that a singing cowboy can fight for justice not just with his fists and six-guns, but with ballots, speeches, and songs from the heart.

Blending action, homespun humor, and rousing musical interludes, the story follows Roy’s journey from dusty range rider to people’s champion, capturing a uniquely New Deal–era faith that ordinary citizens, even those who ride the open range, can change the course of national politics.

Directed by: Joseph Kane

Writing Credits: Betty Burbridge

Starring: Roy Rogers, George Montgomery, Smiley Burnette

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The Dawn Patrol (1930)

Charlotte Movies — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:07:07 +0000

1h 35min. // In the mud and mist of the Western Front, a Royal Flying Corps squadron staggers through each day knowing tomorrow’s dawn may be their last. Young pilots, some barely out of school, are thrown from the safety of the officers’ mess into rickety biplanes that must face seasoned German aces. To keep their nerves from shattering, they cling to nightly rituals of drinking, singing, and brittle jokes, masking the terror that comes with every morning patrol.

Directed by: Howard Hawks

Writing Credits: Howard Hawks, Seton I. Miller, John Monk Saunders

Starring: Howard Hawks, Frank McHugh, Richard Barthelmess, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Neil Hamilton

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Awards:

WON. Academy Award for Best Story. Category. John Monk Saunders.

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916) [Silent Movie]

Charlotte Movies — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 13:10:36 +0000

1h 40min. // Based on Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, this is the first movie filmed underwater. It tells the story of Captain Nemo who has built a fantastic submarine, the Nautilus, for his mission of revenge. Accompanied by a French professor and his daughter, the three of them will live an amazing adventure aboard the submarine.

Directed by: Stuart Paton

Writing Credits: Jules Verne (novel)

Starring: Allen Holubar (as Capt. Nemo), Dan Hanlon (as Professor Aronnax) and Edna Pendleton (as Aronnax’s Daughter)

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Awards:

WON. National Film Preservation Board, USA 2016. Stuart Paton

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Wings (1927)

sergio — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:34:25 +0000

2h 21min. // Two small-town young men, Jack Powell and David Armstrong, find their carefree lives upended when the Great War erupts and both enlist in the U.S. Air Service. Once friendly rivals for the same girl back home, they carry their competition into the skies of Europe, where flying is as new and dangerous as the war itself. Their training transforms them from eager boys into daring combat pilots, and the cockpit becomes the arena where courage, jealousy, and loyalty collide.

As Jack and David are shipped to the front, the film plunges into the chaos of aerial warfare, with sweeping dogfights and perilous bombing runs that push early special effects to astonishing heights. On the ground, the story is anchored by Mary, the spirited girl-next-door who quietly loves Jack and follows him overseas as an ambulance driver. Amid swirling biplanes, roaring engines, and bursting shells, the three young lives become entangled in a poignant triangle, where unspoken feelings and misunderstandings carry as much weight as enemy fire.

The brutal reality of war strips away illusions of glory. Jack and David’s rivalry slowly deepens into a hard-won camaraderie forged under fire, even as fate conspires to test that bond in the cruelest possible way. The film builds toward a devastating climax in the clouds, where a tragic case of mistaken identity turns victory into heartbreak. In its closing moments, the story returns home, haunted by loss yet searching for reconciliation, capturing both the exhilaration and the terrible cost of the first great age of aviation combat.

Blending intimate romance with large-scale spectacle, the film showcases the dawning power of cinema to put audiences right inside the cockpit, while never losing sight of the human faces behind the uniforms and goggles. Its mix of technical bravura and emotional sincerity still resonates with viewers who appreciate silent-era storytelling at its most ambitious.

Directed by: William A. Wellman, Harry d’Abbadie d’Arrast

Writing Credits: Julian Johnson, Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton

Starring: Gary Cooper, George Irving, Clara Bow, Hedda Hopper, William A. Wellman

Enjoy The Movie!

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Awards:

WON. Academy Award for Best Picture 1929. Best Picture. Wings.
WON. Academy Award for Best Engineering Effects 1929. Best Engineering Effects. Wings.

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The Dawn Rider (1935)

sergio — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:30:16 +0000

53min. // A lone rider drifts into a rough frontier town and almost immediately lands in a bare-knuckle brawl with hotheaded Ben McClure. Tempers cool as quickly as they flared, and over drinks the two strangers discover an unexpected bond: McClure works for the newcomer’s father at the local freight company. Their uneasy camaraderie is barely formed when they stride into the freight office and straight into a holdup in progress.

Inside, Mason’s father is being forced to empty his own safe at gunpoint. In a desperate bid to defend what’s his, he reaches for a weapon and is cut down by a bullet fired from outside the window. With his dying breath, he gives his son the only clue to the murderer’s identity: a polka dot bandanna. From that moment, the story becomes a grim pursuit, as Mason sets out to find the faceless killer hidden among the town’s ranch hands, drifters, and outlaws.

Suspicion, shifting loyalties, and the code of the Old West collide as Mason digs deeper into the mystery. Every card game, saloon encounter, and shadowy alley might conceal the man with the telltale bandanna, and every ally could prove false when guns are drawn. The film builds its tension not just on flying fists and six-shooters, but on the question of whether justice on the frontier will be served by the law—or by a son’s thirst for vengeance.

Directed by: Robert N. Bradbury

Writing Credits: Lloyd Nosler

Starring: John Wayne, Yakima Canutt, Marion Burns, Dennis Moore, George “Gabby” Hayes